Martyrs: DVD Review
Arriving this week on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD is the remake of 2008’s “Martyrs”, directed by the Goetz Brothers. I have never seen the original French-Canadian film, so I am unable to compare the remake to it. However, due to the cult status of the original, it has to be better than this retelling.
The film begins with ten-year-old Lucie escaping an isolated warehouse that she has been held prisoner and tortured. After that horrific experience, Lucie is placed in an orphanage, and that is where she meets her soon-to-be best friend, Anna. Lucie continues to be haunted by visions of demons. Are they real? We don’t know for sure.
The story cuts to about ten-years-later. Lucie (Troian Bellisario) and Anna (Bailey Noble) are now all grown up. Lucie has spent those years seeking out the family that tortured her and she finally tracked them down. Not only does she gundown the seemingly normal couple, but also takes the lives of their two children. Anna may be worried that Lucie is out of control, but that all chances when the two young women find themselves trapped in an inescapable nightmare.
After 2013’s impressive “Scenic Route”, I was looking forward to what Kevin and Michael Goetz would deliver next. Although the tone and the performances work, the story just isn’t all that compelling. The final act I found to be a complete letdown, but maybe it is just the way it was handled. These filmmakers are talented and I know they have good work in them. I just hope they are able to deliver something better the next go around.
By: Marc Ferman